1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color photographic light-sensitive material and, more particularly, it relates to preventing fading of the dye images ultimately obtained by development processing a color photographic light-sensitive material and preventing discoloration of uncolored or white background areas.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Color photographic light-sensitive materials are subjected, after exposure, to a series of processing steps such as color development, bleaching, fixing, stabilizing, etc., to ultimately form color images.
Color photographic images thus-obtained are stored for a long period of time as records or to be displayed. However, these photographic images are not necessarily stable to light, humidity or heat and, when stored for a long period of time, the dye images tend to fade or discolor and, in addition, the white background is also discolored, which usually results in a deterioration of image quality. Such a phenomenon is enhanced when the dye images are exposed to light or stored under high temperature and high humidity conditions.
This fading and discoloration of images are fatal defects in a recording material. The following compounds have heretofore been used to remove these defects. For example, hydroquinone derivatives including 2,5-di-tert-butylhydroquinone, phenol compounds such as 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol, 4,4'-methylenebis(2,6-di-tert-butylphenol), 2,2'-methylenebis(4-ethyl-6-tert-butylphenol), 4,4'-isopropylidenediphenol, etc., and tocopherols are representative of such compounds.
These compounds are effective to some extent as fade preventing or discoloration preventing agents for dye images. However, the effect is not completely satisfactory, although some compounds may prevent fading, they deteriorate the hue, cause fog, reduce dispersion property or form crystals. Thus, satisfactory color image stabilizers which exhibit completely excellent effects for photographic use are not known.
Methods for overcoming these disadvantages are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 14023/1976 (The term "OPI" as used herein refers to a "published unexamined Japanese patent application)" in which a phenolic compound as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,432,300, 3,573,050, 3,574,627 and 3,930,866, German Patent Application (OLS) Nos. 2,146,668 and 2,165,371 is used together with a hydroquinone derivative.
On the other hand, it is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,016 that magenta color images which can be stored with good stability when exposed to light are obtained by incorporating a certain 3-anilino-5-pyrazolone-type magenta coupler in combination with a hydroquinone having at least one substituent on the nucleus thereof and a total number of carbon atoms in the substituents being at least 8 into a color photographic light-sensitive material.
Although fading of dye images and discoloration of white background are certainly prevented by the abovedescribed methods in comparison with the prior art, it is desired to further improve these properties from practical standpoint.